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Talk me out of buying a Source Audio C4


matybigfro

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The extras are a pain with the C4 for sure, if you want to take it beyond six stored presets.

 

I went Morningstar and neuro hub. Endlessly flexible, but expensive.

 

The Mobile app plus usb cable is a good option for quick edits on the fly eg during rehearsal. And mapping functions you might need to tweak (bass; master vol etc) to control knobs per preset helps (I have a standard eg bass is always bottom left or whatever).

 

It’s a great pedal but it does need the tech overlay to make it viable really.

 

I don’t know how you’d ever make a proper synth pedal work without some sort of editor, really

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13 hours ago, Wild Cayote said:

Well I was ambivalent about buying the C4, and after reading this thread, I am now ambivalent about buying the C4. Lot off good points all around, equal number of positive, negative experiences 

I got one recently, only just started playing with it - it’s good, v good. 

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On 18/10/2022 at 00:10, moley6knipe said:

The extras are a pain with the C4 for sure, if you want to take it beyond six stored presets.

 

I went Morningstar and neuro hub. Endlessly flexible, but expensive.

 

The Mobile app plus usb cable is a good option for quick edits on the fly eg during rehearsal. And mapping functions you might need to tweak (bass; master vol etc) to control knobs per preset helps (I have a standard eg bass is always bottom left or whatever).

 

It’s a great pedal but it does need the tech overlay to make it viable really.

 

I don’t know how you’d ever make a proper synth pedal work without some sort of editor, really

The FI can do a fair bit without the editor by tweaking the 9 parameters on the pedal surface. Though in practice I never use these as I do all my programming via the editor. When I get some time (haha) I might put together some presets which will be designed to be tweaked from the panel and share them. Because the panel only offers nine coarse steps per parameter, careful thought would need to be given about the ranges in use of the underlying presets in order to maximise usefulness. It also depends on whether the global filter adjustment parameter is set to 2, 4 or 8 octaves. (I have mine set to the full 8 and use my Morningstar controller to limit the range of expression messages as desired.)

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On 13/05/2022 at 01:38, mcnach said:

 

 

I thought the same for a minute but then... you can store 6 presets on the unit that you can recall without any additional equipment. Once a given preset is stored, and teh control knobs assigned to whatever relevant functions you want for that specific preset, you won't need a computer.

 

I see the process like this (I hope I'm not wrong! :D

 

- sit with a nice cup of coffe or six in front of the computer, bass on my lap, C4 plugged in.

- spend however much time I can be bother with checking various presets online, and deciding which ones I want to store

- store chosen presets, tweak to taste, ensure the control knobs are assigned to useful functions for each preset

 

go away and play the thing: you can still tweak certain parameters at the pedal itself just like with any other pedal.

 

From time to time I'd get rid off presets I don't use/need and save different ones...

 

I don't plan on using any additional controlers or anything, the synth FX would only be used here and there and not very heavily used so I don't need to be able to switch between 4 presets in a single song or anything like that.

 

It's what I do with my Aftershock. I stored 6 presets and I've never gone back to edit anything: I choose the preset I want to use and I tweak gain or whatever at the pedal itself. I use two different overdrive pedals for different sounds, and the Aftershock to provide whatever else I can't get from the others... sometimes it's a heavy fuzz, sometimes a gritty overdrive...

 

I would prefer if the C4 had 27 physical knobs and 12 switches but it would be the size of Pluto.

I used a EXH Microsynth a lot over the years. I loved its simplicity. It was just a shame it could not store presets. The C4 does a million more things, but the controls are hidden. We need these two to have a baby!

 

 

 

 

I love my aftershock, I don't meet too many people that have one, it seems to be overlooked, but it  really is a great pedal. I think the only downfall, and it sounds like you've got it covered with your other pedals, but the downfall is that it's hard to go just a little bit of break up, like a subtle amount of distortion. I mean if course you can blend it, but I'm not talking about wet dry I mean just to get like the sweet spot, where digging in with the right hand will get you the perfect amount of crunchy. But I'm still experimenting with it. 

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On 07/04/2022 at 01:27, stewblack said:

What @Doddy said.

If you love computer programming and having to buy extra stuff, if you absolutely know you can nail the precise sounds you will need and not have to tweak them on stage then go for the C4, definitely.

If you lack patience, computer skills or the time needed to learn them, I suggest you stay away.

I've a whole board of SA pedals and never been able to gig them.? 

Why do you say you've never been able to gig them? I get what you are saying about the C4, but is that true for all of their pedals? 

 

I have the aftershock already and I like it, I was considering both the C4 and the compression pedal they have. But what you guys  are saying makes sense, and I don't wanna be stuck with something that is a pain to use. 

 

Or maybe you'd like to sell you board and I'll find out for myself. Would you be interested? I've been looking to buy some pedals, maybe they'd work out better for me. 

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On 31/10/2022 at 23:27, Wild Cayote said:

Why do you say you've never been able to gig them? I get what you are saying about the C4, but is that true for all of their pedals? 

 

I have the aftershock already and I like it, I was considering both the C4 and the compression pedal they have. But what you guys  are saying makes sense, and I don't wanna be stuck with something that is a pain to use. 

 

Or maybe you'd like to sell you board and I'll find out for myself. Would you be interested? I've been looking to buy some pedals, maybe they'd work out better for me. 

Because I find them all really hard to adjust . I'm sure it's easy for those who understand how to set them up and designate certain controls for certain functions but it's defeated me.

Buying the whole board wouldn't be cheap. Let's talk in the private message.

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2 hours ago, stewblack said:

Because I find them all really hard to adjust . I'm sure it's easy for those who understand how to set them up and designate certain controls for certain functions but it's defeated me.

Buying the whole board wouldn't be cheap. Let's talk in the private message.

You need to program them and control them from a MIDI switcher pedal.

That pretty much applies to anything with multiple parameters to control.

For a performance I wouldn't have the mindset of setting them for different sounds, but maybe more as presets for song parts.

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2 hours ago, prowla said:

You need to program them and control them from a MIDI switcher pedal.

That pretty much applies to anything with multiple parameters to control.

For a performance I wouldn't have the mindset of setting them for different sounds, but maybe more as presets for song parts.

Yep I have all the gizmos, Neural hub, midi switcher, editing software. It's just not working for me. I suffer from a debilitating illness which means I just can't spend the time and mental resources necessary to learn it.

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19 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Yep I have all the gizmos, Neural hub, midi switcher, editing software. It's just not working for me. I suffer from a debilitating illness which means I just can't spend the time and mental resources necessary to learn it.

Yep - you have to be able to put the time in.

I'll get around to it one day...

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35 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Yep I have all the gizmos, Neural hub, midi switcher, editing software. It's just not working for me. I suffer from a debilitating illness which means I just can't spend the time and mental resources necessary to learn it.

I sold my HX stomp because I just didn't want to use digital interfaces and the time needed for playing bass - so I can understand that. 
I got a a C4 synth because for the odd thing I could, I plan to load it with a set of presets that I probably won't ever touch the settings on to make it less complex... but then need to buy or build a USB midi switcher to change between patches... so more complex! (or expensive if I bought one) 

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31 minutes ago, stewblack said:

I just finished a bass lesson which very nearly caused my head to fall off. The idea of learning anything else right now is not even a blip on the distant horizon.

you mean you are actually learning music instead of just faffing around with gear? :shok:

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